F
oot and lower limb problems,
often brought on by diabetes, are
among the most common reasons
that patients have to attend the
Island’s IOW NHS Trust Podiatry service,
writes Peter White.
Last year alone the award-winning
Podiatry Department at St Mary’s Hospital
saw over 10,000 patients and carried
out an amazing 35,000 treatments for
conditions ranging from ingrown toe nails,
problems with the way the foot functions
to problems that could have led to Island
residents needing amputations had they
not intervened.
David Shields, Head of Podiatry and
Orthopaedic Triage who specialises in
treating diabetic patients, heads a 16-strong
team in the podiatry unit in the South Block
of St Mary’s, that was opened three years ago.
Anyone who has had to attend there or one
of the clinics held in seven other locations
across the Island will know that it is a very
busy department. The number of treatments
by each member of the team every year is
more than one and a half times greater than
the national average.
David trained in Manchester, qualifying
in 1979, and moved to the Island four years
later. He became Head of Podiatry here in
the early 1990s and was elected a Fellow
of the College of Podiatrists in 2011. He
explained some of the conditions that his
department often treat, and underlined the
importance to seek advice, and a referral
from your GP if you feel you are suffering
clinical foot or lower limb problems.
David said: “We treat people with
problems resulting from complications
of the feet. In clinics across F